Israel excluded from Blast Valorant Nations tournament

• Author: AARON REICH
• Published date: 24 September 2021
• Publication title: Jerusalem Post, The: Web Edition Articles (Israel)

Since its debut, Valorant, a first-person-shooter video game developed by Riot Games, has seen success as an esport, and is especially popular in Israel.

Traditionally, the Jewish state has been considered by Valorant tournaments, including the ones organized by Riot, as part of the European region. But this time, it was excluded, providing seemingly no explanation.

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"I really don't understand why and how Israel is not participating in such an event," Ruvik Milkis, the CEO of Israel's first official esports club Team Finest, told The Jerusalem Post, explaining that the decision seems to be motivated by "internal reasons."

"It's unfair to the Israeli community," Milkis added. "We have a huge Valorant community in Israel and we don't have a chance to represent the flag."

Israel has typically not been able to play against Middle...